


Let's Go to the Mall!

by seawarriors



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, The Incredible Hulk (Comics)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 08:06:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20811818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seawarriors/pseuds/seawarriors
Summary: Days without alien invasions and monster attacks have become increasingly uncommon for Dr. Bruce Banner. During one of these rare days, Bruce elects to give Rick a quintessential teenage experience.





	Let's Go to the Mall!

The last few weeks had been relatively calm for Bruce Banner. Now that has work wasn't hindered by changing into a monster at night and he was no longer suspected of being a traitor, he almost felt like he could relax. He suspected Rick, his teenage assistant, was feeling the same way. Previously he'd almost never seen the poor kid sleep. Rick had admitted to keeping watch in the bunker all night during the weeks where Bruce changed when the sun went down, but it seemed like the behavior had stuck even after moving into Bruce’s house. Bruce had a tendency to get fixated on his work and only settle down for the night once the next day had already begun, and it seemed each time he walked past the living room where Rick was meant to be sleeping, he was still awake. Bruce welcomed being sent off to sleep with Rick cheerfully wishing him a good night and a reminder not to let the bedbugs bite, but it was concerning how little rest the kid allowed himself. Thankfully, Rick had been sleeping like a log well into the afternoon today, and Bruce was trying to be as silent as possible to avoid waking him.

After eating a quick breakfast of black coffee and embarrassingly burnt eggs, Bruce began quietly cleaning the house. He was ashamed realizing that he couldn't remember the last time he'd bothered doing so, but now that another person was living with him it just felt... right. At the moment he was working on laundry, but perplexingly enough he couldn't find any clothes that belonged to Rick. In retrospect, Rick didn't seem to have anything that belonged to him. When he'd moved in he hadn't immediately brought any items, but Bruce had assumed Rick finished getting settled while he was busy or out of the house. Yet while cleaning Bruce hadn't noticed anything new that could belong to the boy, not even an extra pair of socks.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Rick was finally beginning to stir. He let out a soft groan before stretching his arms out in front of him.

"What year is it?" Rick asked with his eyes still closed.

"Still 2003, Rick. Would you like some breakfast?"

"For sure." Rick responded with a sigh. He then took a deep yawn before pushing his body upwards with both arms and seating himself against the back of the pull out sofa. He rubbed his eyes and blinked them open, smiling as he watched Bruce shovel eggs out of a pan and onto a plate for him.

Bruce selected a fork and a napkin from the kitchen before bringing the plate of eggs and buttered toast over to Rick, who grabbed it from him with delight. He then seated himself on the armchair adjacent to the boy and briefly rehearsed the words he wanted to say in his head before speaking them out loud.

"So Rick, as I was cleaning this morning I realized I couldn't find anything that belonged to you. Clothing specifically... and I just wanted to check that you have everything you need."

Rick paused from inhaling his breakfast to issue a sheepish response that he spoke at an increasingly quicker pace.

"Yeah uh, I don't really got any of my own stuff. My friend's grandma, I call her my 'Aunt Polly', she lets me borrow clothes my friend leaves behind for when he stays over but it's not really mine so I always gotta bring it back. Before that I just took stuff off people's clothes lines whenever I had to y'know, but she didn't want me doing that anymore said I was better than thieving and I dunno about that but anyway she offered this arrangement and-"

"Rick," Bruce interrupted sternly.

"...Yeah?"

"I’ll bring you to the mall today so we can purchase anything you need."

"Really!? I mean, you're sure? I don't wanna trouble ya or anything."

"It's no problem." Bruce replied with a soft smile that Rick quickly returned.

###### 

For the last hour Bruce had been waiting patiently in the mall’s food court for Rick to return with whatever he decided to buy. Bruce had lent the boy his credit card with only slight apprehension. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest idea to lend a credit card to a boy who once thought driving onto a bomb testing site was a good way to spend his afternoon, but Rick had been almost surprisingly responsible in the weeks following that mistake and Bruce trusted him. 

Bruce had intended to accompany Rick while he was shopping, but the first store popular for adolescents was loud and crowded and Bruce had no idea how to assist a teenager in picking out new clothing anyway. He only bought himself new clothes at outlet stores, usually after having received a coupon in the mail. He wasn’t even sure of the last time he’d been in a mall, probably some time with Jennifer, but he figured Rick was young and “hip” and would easily be able to decide on items he wanted. Until then, Bruce had been eating a serving of now cold fries painfully slowly, and with regret that he hadn’t brought something to read.

Rick came bounding out of a music store, smiling ear to ear as Bruce finished eating his last cardboard-textured french fry. He practically sprinted over to Bruce’s table before setting his bags down on top of it with a satisfied sigh.

“Hiya, Doc!” he exclaimed giddily. “I think I got all the essentials, shirts, pants, socks, pizza socks!” He reached into one of his bags, yanking the socks out and waving them around so rapidly that the repeated pattern of pizza slices were only visible as colorful blurs to Bruce.

“Did you find anything else interesting?” Bruce asked, gesturing towards the music store Rick had just run out of.

“Aw, nah, I didn’t get anything there,” Rick replied. He dropped the pizza socks back in his bag so he could dig Bruce’s credit card out of his pocket and present it back to its owner. “I wouldn’t wanna take advantage of your generosity like that, Doc. I was just lookin’ around.” Rick attempted to push Bruce’s credit card under his hand that rested on the table as he spoke, “You can check the balance uh, or your credit score? Whatever you’re meant to check, if you don’t believe me.” He offered a slight smile as he shoved the card under Bruce’s palm.

“No, I believe you, Rick. If you wanted to buy something from there I don’t mind.”

“Nah, it’s cool. They had some neat CDs but then I’d have to get a Walkman to listen to ‘em and those can be like sixty bucks.”

Bruce held the credit card back out to Rick. The kid had been the only person keeping him sane for weeks now, and offering him the funds to support one of his interests felt like a basic courtesy.

“I mean it. Go ahead.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I believe I just said I was.”

“Well… If you say so!” Rick responded with glee. “Gee, I feel like Little Orphan Annie after she met Daddy Warbucks!”

“Who?” Bruce retorted with a quizzical expression, issuing a laugh from Rick.

“Oh, no one. But Doc, this time you gotta come in the store with me.”

Bruce lugged Rick’s shopping bags into the music store and towards the rock section, which Rick made a beeline toward. Bruce watched fondly as the boy flipped through CDs and then let out a soft “Oh,” after seeing a name he recognized.

“What’d you see?” Rick asked with wide eyes, eager that Bruce was participating.

“Well, I think I recognized the album you just flipped past.” Bruce set one of the shopping bags down so he could pull the album from its row as Rick leaned over to see what he’d just selected.

“Huh, Leonard Cohen, _Various Positions_.”

“Yes. There was a song on this album I used to listen to often.”

“Honestly Doc, his music can get a bit dismal, I wouldn’t have thought you were the kinda person who’d listen to it.”

“What do you mean by that, Rick?” Bruce inquired, irked.

“Nothing! Nothing. I was just thinkin’ out loud... but y’know what, let’s just forget it! Anyway his music’s kinda folksy, you like Bob Dylan at all? _Highway 61 Revisited_ is my favorite by him. That one’s more blues but maybe we could find some of his other albums.”

Minutes later Rick already had a pile of CDs stacked next to him. Bruce couldn’t recognize every name but the groups he had heard of all seemed older, from the ‘60s and ‘70s. That seemed like an odd choice for someone who wasn’t alive until decades after that music was released, but then again, Bruce didn’t exactly make attempts to keep up with what teenagers were into.

“Do you mind me asking why you’re so interested in older music?” Bruce enquired as Rick picked up a Rolling Stones album and examined which songs were included on it.

“Oh…” Rick’s expression changed to a distanced one. His gaze focused on the floor, and his shoulders tensed. Bruce immediately regretted the question. He hadn’t meant any harm, but now he was worried he’d overstepped his boundaries. Rick extended his reply with the usual cheeriness missing from his voice.

“Well my dad was really into music, at least I’m pretty sure he was. I don’t really remember myself. I was real young when both my parents died,”

“I apologize if this was a sensitive subject Rick, you don’t have to-”

“No! No, you’re good,” Rick interrupted frantically. He glanced at Bruce’s face with an expression that practically begged for his concern before quickly fixing his eyes back on the floor. “Anyway, I’ve always tried to imagine the stuff they’d have listened to. Makes me feel like they’re still with me in a way, y’know? I guess that’s kinda stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Bruce replied with force. “Don’t think that.”

“Thanks,” Rick said softly in reply. His response was paired with a pained smile. “The only thing I inherited from either of them was my dad’s guitar. It had this strip of duct tape on the back of it with his name and phone number, like, in case it ever got lost. I used to look at that a lot. Just noticin’ how he wrote all his letters... But it’s gone now. Destroyed, actually,” Rick let out a huff. It sounded like he’d been trying to laugh, but couldn’t fully bring himself to. “Only thing I had. Smashed to pieces!”

“Rick, I’m so sorry.”

“Eh, it was my fault. Should’a been more careful.” He hurriedly wiped his hand over his eyes before continuing to flip through the rows of CDs.

As soon as Rick’s focused shifted, his body language did with it. His posture relaxed and his troubled expression melted away in an instant. He asked Bruce if he wanted to look for any more albums with a tone that showed no indication of his previous grief. The transformation unnerved Bruce. He couldn’t imagine Rick was truly alright after being near tears a mere minute ago, but he clearly wanted to pretend his upset had never occurred. Bruce still wanted to comfort him somehow, but he wasn’t quite sure what to say, or if it was appropriate to say anything at all.

His memory rushed back to earlier in the week when Rick was returned to him safely after having been kidnapped by The Wrecker. Still brimming with anxiety, Bruce had reached out and grabbed Rick’s hands in his, both to comfort the boy and to console himself after seriously worrying over his safety for the better part of the afternoon. Rick had seemed surprised by the gesture, but not bothered, and Bruce was hoping he’d feel the same way now.

Bruce reached over to Rick’s hand that rested on the top of the CD display, and squeezed it briefly. He smiled as Rick turned towards him, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

“Rick, are you sure you’re alright?” he asked with care in his voice.

“Yeah Bruce,” Rick responded with a smile. “I’m alright.”

Once leaving the music store Bruce insisted on getting ice cream cones before heading home.

“Ice cream!” Rick replied, “Boy, I haven’t had that in ages. I worked at an ice cream shop a while ago, had to wear one of those ridiculous paper hats and everything. They let me go after I kept letting this one girl abuse the free sample policy ‘cause she was sweet on me.”

Bruce chuckled, and Rick took that as a cue to continue. “And Doc, that isn’t even the worst part. Then she let me go too! I must've not looked as cute without the paper hat.” He grinned playfully as Bruce laughed. “Big charmer, those paper hats.”

Once the pair had acquired their desired ice cream flavors (triple chocolate for Rick and butter pecan for Bruce) Rick mimed a toast, holding his cone in the air.

“To new friendship!” He exclaimed with a genuine grin.

“To new friendship,” Bruce responded. He felt happy, or at least, he should feel happy. Yet a feeling of despair was beginning to gnaw at him.

The pair ate while walking, with Bruce handing Rick another napkin each time each ice cream began to drip from his chin. Luckily the assistance was only necessary for a minute or so, since Rick practically inhaled his ice cream cone. Afterwards he talked as if he had no choice but to chatter.

Rick talked about everything, and he talked about nothing. He said his every thought out loud. A rush of words routinely flooded from his mouth, possibly in an attempt to wash away memories that left a sorrow Bruce saw plain as day back when they were in the music shop. Bandaged under loud talking and rigid laughter a metaphorical wound rested. In Rick’s eyes Bruce regularly witnessed the same deep pain he often found in his own expression whenever he looked in a mirror.

Although most of Rick's jokes and references and teenage slang went over his head, Bruce paid close attention. He still was unsure how to help lift whatever burden the boy was clearly carrying, but thought he could grasp further details by listening long enough. A part of him sincerely wished Rick would just divulge the pain of his past, who had hurt him, what they’d done, and how it led to him driving through a bomb testing site at the tender age of sixteen. At the same time, he wasn't sure why he felt entitled to ever learning this invasive knowledge at all.

He saw his sorrow in this child, but they were nothing alike. When Bruce was young he was quiet and brooding, with rage bottled up so tight he let it explode through bombs he built to blow up in the woods. In spite of whatever it was he had endured, Rick was loud and lively and passionate; a source of resilient brightness. Maybe Bruce just wanted to understand what their difference was. Why the trauma of his youth robbed him of the brightness the boy who was walking by his side still exhibited. "Was" being the operative word. For some reason Rick had come to a halt.

"Hey Doc... you okay? You look like ya checked out there." Rick looked up at him with concern. For some reason that made Bruce feel even more miserable.

"I'm fine, Rick." The words left his lips like a grunt. Hurt flashed across Rick's face and Bruce immediately felt his chest grow tight. Anger pulsed under his skin, but he could hardly determine who it was directed towards as a rush of thoughts overwhelmed him. _Why was his mind always going to dismal places? Why was he always so irritable? Why could he never control his tone? Why did Rick always have to prod him? Why was Rick always so sensitive? Why-_

In an instant Rick was smiling again, minor transgression forgiven.

"Well I just wanted t'say I've had a good time with you,” he disclosed with warmth. “Nobody's ever done something like this for me before and I'm gonna enjoy having my own stuff and music to listen to and I really liked the ice cream and this has all been really fun and you've put up with me talkin' your ear off for hours," He paused to take a breath and grin. "What I mean to say is, thanks."

"You're welcome." Bruce replied softly and gave himself a mental note to restrain himself from overthinking. It almost ruined what was one of the best days he’d had in a long time.

Rick stepped closer to Bruce's side like he had something more he'd wanted to add, but instead he cleared his throat and began staring out into the distance before speaking in a rush again.

"Were ya ready t'go? I don't mind if you had to get back I know you're real busy and all and I don't wanna waste your time or nothin-"

"I had a good time today too" Bruce interjected with a smile. "You're a good kid, Rick. I'm enjoying getting to know you." He reached across Rick's side to pull him into an awkward sort of squeeze hug, and quickly ended the embrace by ruffling Rick's hair.

Rick smiled from ear to ear and began telling Bruce more about the CDs they’d selected and why it was essential for Bruce to listen to his favorites as soon as they returned home. While listening fondly and observing the excitement in Rick's voice Bruce felt a sensation of warmth replace the tightness that had still been lingering in his chest. A pleasant thought seeped into his mind. Maybe if he could make Rick this happy, there was some brightness left in him after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! These two mean a lot to me so I regularly imagine them having the opportunities to do sweet brotherly things that they're rarely given time for in canon. 
> 
> Below are citations for the issues I referenced to write this work. 
> 
> i. This story takes place between the events of Incredible Hulk (1962) #5 - 6. 
> 
> ii. Rick visited his Aunt Polly for the first and only time in canon during Incredible Hulk (1962) #3. 
> 
> iii. Bruce sings Night Comes On from Leonard Cohen's album Various Positions in Avengers: No Road Home (2019) #1.
> 
> iv. Rick's early life history is revealed in Incredible Hulk (1968) #268. 
> 
> v. Rick was kidnapped by The Wrecker in Fantastic Four (1961) #12. 
> 
> vi. Bruce shares his fondness for ice cream in multiple issues, including Incredible Hulk (1968) #205, Avengers Annual (1967) #13, Incredible Hulk (2009) #602 and Avengers Assemble (2012) #11. 
> 
> vii. Bruce's teenage years were expanded on in Incredible Hulk (2000) #80.
> 
> viii. Bruce also funded a mall outing for Jennifer and Lyra in She-Hulks (2010) #3. 
> 
> Feel free to leave comments or prompts for following stories!


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